Good Egg
by aussiebabe290
Summary: "Wouldn't you hate to think you've got a kid out there and not know it?" "I probably do! 2008 was kind of a blackout year".
1. Chapter 1

Caroline Channing and Max Black had been friends- and roommates- for a while. Whilst it wasn't a long time, they'd been through a rollercoaster ride together- but they were still learning.

Max, despite everything Caroline said, only got snippets of what it was like being a rich princess (she got a freaking horse for getting her period). And Caroline was too frightened to delve too deep into Max's dark past- she'd heard stories but didn't want to know details (she drank shots as a baby because her mother didn't like to drink alone).

Despite everything between the two girls, they were the most unlikely animal friendships and truly loved each other (although Max wouldn't say it).

But they were still learning. On occasion Max would burst out from her bedroom, thinking that Caroline was doings shots without her, mistaking her sex voice for her tequila voice. And some nights when Caroline would burst in without any warning at all, Max, on instinct, would pull the pillow knife.

But they worked well as a team, and could handle anything that life threw at them (and God knew that life threw them a lot.)

But they both had their secrets.

They just never thought their secrets would come back to get them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for your response to the first chapter! I'm on Twitter too, for anyone wanting behind the scenes of this and my other stories :) ( RhyleighGrace) :)**

* * *

"What a day", Caroline sighed, as she flopped down into the booth opposite Max. "How much did we get tonight?"

Max slid a little stack of bills towards her friend, yawning. "Not nearly enough. I've still got all those cupcakes at home to frost".

"I don't know why we didn't just do them at the shop".

"I told you, we've got to deliver them in the morning". Max yawned slightly. "Let's go".

"Good night ladies! Two am is Earl time".

"Good night Earl". Max grinned at him, poking her tips into her bra and shrugging on her coat. "Come on Caroline, let's go".

The two walked home in almost silence, Caroline breaking that to tell Max how beautiful the moon looked that night.

"Nothing good ever happens on a full moon", Max said, and Caroline sighed.

"Max you're so superstitious!"

"Yes". Max nodded.

(She blamed her mother.)

* * *

"I told you; just go to sleep in my bed!" Max said for what felt like the thousandth time, as Caroline groaned dramatically. "That's what happen when you live four feet from the oven!"

"It's fine!" Caroline said, stretching out. "I still don't understand why we couldn't do this at the shop in the morn-"

It didn't matter how long she had lived in Williamsburg, a knock at the door late at night would always scare Caroline Channing. Every night when Sophie came to get her nightcap cupcake she'd jump, but that night was worse.

They were the knocks of the authorities.

"It's a raid!" Caroline screamed dramatically from her vagina bed, and Max rolled her eyes heavenward. "I told you not to do drugs, Max, I told you!"

"Shut it Caroline, shut it! We are not doing this again!" Max pointed her wooden spoon at Caroline before advancing towards the door.

"What about your bedroom stash?"

"It's probably just Sophie coming for her nightcap cupcakes!" Max protested, unlocking the door and swinging it open. But instead of seeing the busty Polish woman, she was faced by three police offers.

"Oh my God!" Caroline screamed, and Max looked at them curiously.

"Hello officers, what can I do for you at three thirty in the morning?"

"Are you Max Black?"

(Caroline thought she was going to faint. Her best friend was being arrested. How many times did she have to tell her not to do pot? She knew she was going to get caught, she just knew it.)

"Yes", Max said suspiciously. "Whatever it is, I didn't do it".

"Ms Black, Louise and Michael Plumber were in a car accident last night", the officer told the brunette, and Caroline actually saw the colour drain from Max's face.

(Who the hell were Louise and Michael Plumber, and why hadn't Max mentioned them? they were obviously highly important in her life.)

"Oh", Max said quietly.

"Their daughter, Bethany, is in emergency foster care, but according to their will, they have requested that, in the event of their passing, she go to her biological mother".

"Oh". Max looked down, feeling Caroline's stare in the back of her head.

"What?" Caroline interrupted, standing up and moving over to the door. "Max, what are they talking about?"

"Oh", Max said, her voice even quieter than the first time. "Um… what about other family?"

"Your name is on their will, Ms Black. As her biological mother, the Plumbers nominated you as her guardian".

"Mother?" Caroline's eyes nearly fell out her head and she smacked Max's arm. "What?"

"If you would be able to come to the station at lunchtime tomorrow- lunchtime today- so we can discuss arrangements", one said to her, and Max nodded.

"You can run the shop for a bit on your own, right Caroline?"

Caroline was apparently unable to move on. "You have a kid?"

"Thank you, Ms Black. Apologies for interrupting your night".

"You have a child?" Caroline turned to Max the moment the door had closed. "Oh my God! Why didn't you tell me? I can't believe you didn't tell me!"

"How am I supposed to keep a kid alive?" Max questioned Caroline. "I can barely keep you alive!"

Caroline ignored her, choosing to plough on.

"I can't believe you never told me you had a kid!" Caroline accused. "I told you all about my life!"

"I told you, 2008 was a kind of blackout year!" Max defended, holding her hands up in defence.

"You have a child, Max".

"It never came up!"

"That is something you mention! Hey, I'm Max, I'm broke and I had a child!"

"Who says that?" Max threw her hands in the air. "We are not discussing this now". Abandoning the cupcakes she needed frosted for the next morning, she stalked towards her bedroom.

"Oh, we are so discussing this!" Caroline followed Max towards her bedroom, frowning at the way that Max climbed into bed like nothing was wrong. Climbing in beside her, she continued. "I can't believe you would keep this from me!"

"Go and pull down your vagina and go to sleep", Max said, her voice muffled by her pillow.

"Fine! But we are continuing this conversation tomorrow! You are not getting out of this".

"It was a long time ago Caroline! Go and pull your vagina down and go to sleep".

"We are talking about this in the morning", Caroline repeated, crawling off Max's bed. "I feel like you want a hug".

"Out". Max pointed towards the door, frowning deeply into her pillow.

Caroline was reluctant to leave, but she knew Max wouldn't say anything even if she did stay.

("You're so clingy!")

Despite what Max said, she wasn't as tough as she was. Max was tough on the outside, but not in the inside. Caroline heard her crying as she pulled down her bed (despite what Max said about selling her tear ducts, Caroline knew that she wasn't masturbating), the blonde crawling under the blankets with a heavy sigh.

How had Max given up a child?


	3. Chapter 3

Caroline didn't sleep that night. Her mind was full of questions, and she could hear Max's sniffling from the other room.

So at four a.m when she got up to check on Max (who was face down in her bed, and Caroline couldn't tell if she was awake or not), she called Andy. She needed backup for a morning of questioning, and Max would be much easier to talk to with a sackful of candy.

* * *

"I got you a coffee", Caroline greeted Max, as the brunette emerged from her bedroom. "And a juice. And a bear claw!"

Andy grinned from the stove, flipping a pancake onto a plate (Caroline had called him at four a.m, informing him that Max was depressed and needed chocolate chip pancakes and candy, and he had shrugged, obliging to help his friend). "And I made chocolate chip pancakes".

"You invited Andy?" Max's eyes narrowed at the blonde (Andy frowning slightly- clearly she hadn't seen the sackful of candy he'd brought for her), and Caroline directed her to the counter, pointing to the stack of chocolate chip pancakes and the paper Starbucks bag. "You told Andy?"

"Told me what?"

"Not now Andy. No, I didn't. Have some pancakes, have some bear claw. Have some juice".

"This isn't going to change anything", Max said, pulling out her vanilla bear claw.

"This changes everything, Max!"

"No it doesn't!"

"Is this why you're so good with kids? Is this why you surrounded yourself by kids?" she questioned, taking a sip of her own coffee.

"What?" Andy's eyes darted between the two (because Caroline hadn't elaborated when she called him).

"Because you had a child?"

"Max has a kid?" Andy almost dropped his spatula. "When did Max have a kid?"

"Oh my God! Put some pancakes in your pancake hole!" Max glared, shoving a piece of pancake into Caroline's mouth and reaching for the bag of candy.

(She'd seen it. Andy grinned, despite his confusion.)

Pulling out a handful of gummy frogs and leaning on her elbow, she looked at Caroline menacingly.

(If Andy wasn't cooking her favourite food and if Andy hadn't brought her a big ass sack of candy, he'd be out the door in no time at all.)

"How do you have a child?" Caroline wanted to know. "Kike, did you adopt your kid out or something?"

Max sighed heavily, setting down her frogs (not like she had an appetite anyway). "Really? We really have to go there?"

"Yes! I want to know why you kept the fact that you have a child out there from your roommate, business partner and best friend!"

"I was a surrogate; I wasn't just some slut who got rid of her kid".

Caroline's eyes widened. "Max, oh my God!"

"What? I did a good deed! I helped someone have a kid!"

"I can't believe you'd give up your baby like that!"

"I was simply the oven for these people!"

"It's your egg! They're your egg! You were not just the oven!"

"I know! Do you think I didn't realise that? Don't you think that this is ALL I've thought about for the last six years?"

"Oh honey, you need a hug!"

And Max didn't fight it, as Caroline wrapped her arms around her. She put her head on Caroline's shoulder, sighing heavily. "I can't look after a six year old, I can't even look after you! I don't even know where she's going to sleep!"

"We'll work it out". Caroline shrugged.

"I suppose I could share your vagina…"

Andy choked a little on his piece of pancake. "This is a really small kitchen".

(He didn't even know why he had never stopped them before, it wasn't going to stop them then.)

"Do you want me to come with you? I'll come with you", Caroline said, releasing Max from her hug.

Max shook her head. "No, this is something that I've got to do. You get to work, alright? And tell Han that I'll be there".

Caroline nodded. "Are you sure?"

"Yep".


	4. Chapter 4

It took every ounce of courage in her body to walk into the station that morning. Because Max would be faced with the little girl from her past, and she was not emotionally prepared for that.

She hadn't seen her in six and a half years. Not since that day in the hospital where she had given her up. She'd seen her for a moment, and held her for just a second- that perfect little baby who had screamed until she was placed in Max's arms. She had been perfect. Her pregnancy had been less than perfect, but Bethany was perfect.

And now she got to see that little girl, who was so far removed from a baby. She was six and a half. And she could very well look like her.

Taking a deep breath, she entered the station.

* * *

"Ms Black, this is Bethany".

She looked so little, sitting by herself in the room, swinging her legs gently.

(Christ on a cracker, she looked just like her. Bethany was a mini Max, and that tugged on every single one of her heartstrings.)

"Hi", Max said unsurely, lingering in the doorway until Bethany looked up.

"You're Max?" the little girl said quietly, her eyes red rimmed and her face streaked with tears.

Max knelt down in the chair opposite her. "I am. You're Bethany?"

"No, just Beth. No one calls me Bethany, even when I'm in real big trouble".

"That's like my real name", Max confided in her. "No one calls me Maxine, not even when I'm in real big trouble".

"I get to live with you?"

Max nodded. "Is that okay?"

"Do you have any pets?"

"I have a horse".

"Really? Can I ride him? I like horses. I don't have any pets". She looked down. "My mummy was 'lergic to dogs and cats so we couldn't have any. Max?"

"Yeah?"

"I miss my mummy. And my daddy. Am I gonna get to see them again?"

"Um…" Max let her voice trail off, unsure how to answer the little girl's question.

Beth sighed heavily. "That's what Mrs Wheeler said… did you know my mummy and daddy?"

Max nodded. "I did".

"I miss them".

"Me too".

(That little girl was depending on her. she had just lost everything, and Max was her safety net. And as unsure about the whole situation as she was, Max knew that she couldn't let that little girl down.)

Not much was said after that, but before Max left, Beth hugged her.

"I really get to stay with you?"

Max nodded. "Yeah, Bethy. You do".

"Good".

* * *

"Where's Max?" Han questioned, as Caroline came through the door alone.

"She'll be here, Han".

"Rumour has it police officers paid a late night visit to your apartment last night!"

"Oh my God!"

"Oleg told me!"

"Oleg!" Caroline bellowed. "This is not something I feel comfortable discussing!"

"When will Max be here?" Han pressed on, and Caroline ran her hand through her hair in frustration (a habit that she had picked up from Max and solely Max).

"I don't know, Han".


	5. Chapter 5

"This is ridiculous", Max choked out, as she wiped her eyes again.

Max Black wasn't a crier. And yet there she was, sitting on the edge of the bathtub, her hands shaking so hard she couldn't even apply her makeup.

It was ridiculous. She was Max Black. She didn't cry.

And yet there she was, sobbing in her bathroom.

That little baby she had handed over six years ago hadn't looked like that. The little girl that sat beside her that day had looked just like her. She saw someone that she hadn't seen for a very long time that day- six year old Max.

They were so different. They might have shared looks, but they couldn't have been less alike. Max's childhood was not something she was proud of, but Beth had had six years of Manhattan, upper scale life. Her parents were not the wealthiest, but they gave their daughter everything she could.

Max wasn't able to do that. She wasn't even able to buy what she and Caroline needed (they had a stack of diner napkins beside their toilet because they couldn't afford toilet paper that month), let alone provide for a child.

(It was a lot to take in.)

* * *

"Max, are you alright?" Earl wanted to know, as Max came through the door.

"Yeah, sure, why wouldn't I be?" she grinned toothily at him.

"I heard a rumour that you're depressed".

"I'm- Caroline started that rumour, didn't she". Max frowned, her eyes darting to where the blonde was poking around in the kitchen "excuse me Earl; I have a roommate to kill".

"Han did. But you know me better than that, I don't listen to rumours".

"Oh Earl". She grinned, shrugging off her coat. "Why can't everyone be you?"

"Max!"

Caroline threw herself at Max with such force the brunette went backwards, bracing herself on the wall.

"Oh my God!" she almost snapped. "Get off!"

"How was it?" Caroline said anxiously. "Why didn't you answer my calls?"

"My phone died", Max lied.

"How is she? How are you?"

"I'm fine".

"No, fine never means fine! You told me that!" Caroline hugged her again. "Oh my God, Max, I'll get you a cup of-"

"I don't need tea". Max, untangling herself from Caroline, hung up her bag and coat, before advancing towards the kitchen. "And I don't need a hug, do not follow me! Stop trying to soft touch me!"

"What is going on?" Han asked, bewildered.

Caroline didn't listen, and followed Max through the kitchen and into the freezer. As Max shuffled through boxes, trying to find a pie, Caroline turned to her.

"What's she like?"

"she's beautiful and smart and is dealing with everything so much better than any other six and a half year old would", Max said finally, keeping her eyes focused on the pie (her vision was blurred and she was doing her very best to blink away tears, but Caroline knew her better than that).

"Does she look like you?"

"She looks so much like me". Max nodded, her voice thick.

On the other side of the freezer, they heard frantic whispering.

"I'll handle this", Caroline said, and Max nodded. Caroline patted her cheek gently ("stop soft touching me"), barging out into the kitchen.

"What is wrong with you?" she demanded.

"How can Max have a child?" Han wanted to know.

"Because Max did a good deed, Han! She gave a family the baby they'd wanted to have for years! She did a good deed!" Caroline almost snapped (the past day's events had wreaked havoc on her emotions, she couldn't even imagine how Max was feeling).

"And now the child's coming to live with you?" he said in disbelief.

"Oleg", Caroline glared.

"Yep", Max said, coming out of the freezer. "Do you have a problem with that, Han?"

"No", the Korean almost stuttered.

"Good". And Max breezed out of the kitchen, slamming her hand down on the bell.

(Max with a child was going to be a hell of an adjustment for everyone.)


	6. Chapter 6

"Who works at the diner with you?" Beth wanted to know the next day, when Max turned up again at the station (leaving Caroline alone at the shop, despite her insistence on coming).

"Well, Caroline does. And Han owns it, and Oleg is a cook. And then there's Earl, the cashier. There's not that many of us, but its kinda fun. Don't tell Caroline".

Beth gave her a little smile. "When do I get to stay with you?"

"You're going to stay with Mr and Mrs Wheeler for one more night, okay? And then you get to come home with me".

Beth nodded. "Promise? You aren't going to leave me?"

Max shook her head. "I'm not".

* * *

"Did the Plumbers discuss any arrangements with you, prior to their passing?" a police officer question, and Max shook her head.

"I haven't seen them in six years. I literally passed her over in the hospital and we parted ways. I got to hold her once, but that was it".

Officer Landon nodded a sad smile on his face. "That's often the cases with surrogate parents".

"I didn't ask to be a part of her life", Max objected. "They didn't keep her from me. I thought it would be easier…"

"Was it?"

Max shook her head, refusing to meet his eye. "Nope".

* * *

That night, once they returned home from the diner, Max walked around their apartment and essentially child proofed it.

"I know she's a six year old and all", she said, as she balanced on a chair, "But this place is a death trap".

"Your room?" Caroline offered. "Did you get rid of your bedroom stash?"

"Of course I did! Oh my God, this is no place for a kid". Max flopped down on the bed, hugging a pillow to her chest.

"I feel like you need to take to the bed".

"I am not taking to the bed", she snapped. "Don't come over here and soft touch me".

"Earl and Han and even Oleg said they'll help", Caroline offered.

"Oleg?" Max sat up, her eyes wide. "I'm not subjecting a kid to OLEG!"

(Caroline had accepted the offer as graciously as she could, but knew that there was no way on God's green earth that Max would let that kid near Oleg. That was not a happening thing.)

"And I'm sure Sophie will help out", Caroline added, lying down beside her. "Look, I know it's a big adjustment-"

"A big adjustment? No!" Max pointed accusingly at her. "Having you move in was a big adjustment. Getting a freaking horse was a big adjustment! This is not a big adjustment; this is a monumentally huge freaking adjustment! Now, I have to keep me, you, a horse and a KID alive! I can barely keep you alive!"

(Caroline wanted to object, but she still needed Max to help her on the subway.)

"What was it like?" Caroline said instead, changing the subject.

"What?"

"What was it like, giving her up?"

"She was never mine", Max interjected. "She was never mine; I had her solely for them".

"What was it like giving her up?" Caroline repeated, and Max sighed heavily, tears pricking at the back of her eyes.

She swallowed hard, before answering thickly. "The hardest thing I've ever done… she was so little. I carried her inside me Caroline, for nine months, and she made my back and my boobs and my feet hurt and she was so little and I was so not and it hurt, it hurt more than anything in the world, and then she was there". She shook her head, as if she was trying to shake away the memories.

Max was strong and had gone through a lot, but without a doubt, childbirth was the hardest thing she had ever done. She had a seven hour natural labour; because she thought she'd be strong enough to do it without the drugs. She didn't know why she thought she'd be able to do that, she screamed the entire time, demanding more drugs, but she was too far along to get anything.

And then, after seven hours, there was that six pound, three ounce little girl screaming. That made everything worth it. And then she got to hold her, just for a moment, before she said goodbye.

She'd be blatantly lying if she said it hadn't shattered her heart. She'd wanted a few more moments with that little girl, to tell her everything. To tell her how much she loved her.

"It's the hardest thing I've ever had to do".

Caroline was quiet, as she looked over at her friend. That was a side of Max that she had never seen before, not even when she admitted that she really liked Johnny. She was vulnerable and scared and that wasn't the Max she knew, and it scared her.

"It's going to be okay, Max", Caroline said instead. "We're going to get help. Earl and Han and Sophie and Andy and even Oleg. I mean, I wouldn't want him around my kid, but he offered… that doesn't make it any better".

Max chuckled shakily. "No, it doesn't".

"We'll work something out", Caroline said finally.

She was the planner. She'd worked everything out for them so far, she'd even gotten Max to file her taxes. They were going to get there.


	7. Chapter 7

"I'll come with you", Caroline said to Max, as she shrugged on her coat.

Max shook her head. "Nope. We'll be back, okay? The kid's making a huge adjustment as it is. We'll meet you here".

Caroline nodded, frowning slightly. "Fine", she grumbled.

* * *

She didn't have that much with her, and Max promised that they'd get her things. But what she did have was in a small duffel bag and a small backpack, which Max slung over her shoulder.

"So, this is our building", Max said unsurely, as Beth clutched her hand.

"I like it", she said softly.

(Caroline was probably waiting for them. she was probably creepily waiting inches from the door, waiting to scare both of them.)

"Oh my God", Caroline said softly, as she opened the door for the mother and daughter pair. "Oh, wow".

Max swallowed hard. "Hey Caroline".

"Max, she's a mini you".

The little girl looked up at the blonde, unsure, and pulled herself a little closer to Max. Max clutched her hand, squeezing it gently to reassure her.

"Beth, this is Caroline. My business partner, roommate… and best friend, I guess. Caroline, this is Beth".

"Hi honey". Caroline knelt down, hugging the tiny brunette gently.

"It's nice to meet you", she said softly, reaching for Max's hand again.

"So, this is our place. It isn't much", Max said unsurely. "Yeah… it's not much".

"Can I pat the horse?"

Caroline opened the back door and Chestnut poked his head inside, Max running her fingers over his cheek.

"Chestnut, this is Beth. She's gonna be staying with us now. Beth, this is Chestnut. We have some good adventures. Now we're gonna have adventures together, Chestnut".

Beth grinned. "That sounds like fun".

"Absolutely". Max nodded, before opening her bedroom door. "Um, this is my room, but you'll be sleeping in here for now. I'll share with Caroline. Our apartment isn't very big; we'll have to work something else out. But this is your room, okay?"

Beth cautiously stepped inside. "It's bigger than my room".

"Really?" Caroline blurted out, and Max pinched her side.

"I like it. Where are you gonna sleep, Max?"

"I'll share Caroline's bed".

Beth looked around, trying to locate the other bed. Caroline pulled it down out of the wall and Beth gave a small smile.

"That's cool!"

* * *

"Are you getting ready for work?" Caroline called, coming out of the bathroom, tying her apron around her waist. "Oh good, you're almost ready".

"Where am I gonna go while you go to work?" Beth wanted to know.

Max frowned slightly, because the other person she had to keep alive went to work with her (they had so much to consider now). "I guess you could come with us tonight", she said unsurely. "We've got to work something out, because we get home really late and you can't be spending all hours of the night at the diner, but tonight you can come to work with us. What's your favourite kind of cupcake?"

She fell silent, as Max helped her button up her coat. "Um…"

"Did I tell you that Caroline and I have a cupcake business?"

Beth shook her head, as Caroline slung her little pink backpack over her own shoulder.

"It's called Max's Homemade Cupcakes. Max makes them and we both sell them. We've got our own shop, but we also work at the diner".

"Max told me 'bout the diner". Beth nodded, and Max slipped a hat onto her head.

Max felt terrible. Three days after her parents had died and she was dragging her into completely new environments. She had been plucked from her Manhattan apartment to Williamsburg, and they were about to drag her to a diner until ungodly hours of the morning. The poor kid's routine would be so screwed.

"Do you like candy?" Caroline changed the topic. "Because Max and I have a friend who has a candy store".

"Really?"

"Yep! Candy Andy".

"That's a funny name", she giggled suddenly. "My favourite is gummy stuff".

(They were so alike in so many ways. Caroline saw it.)

"I like chocolate cupcakes", Beth said suddenly, and Caroline grinned.

"So do I".

For the girl who only knew Manhattan, Beth seemed to adjust fairly well to downtown Brooklyn. But despite that, Max was not letting go of her hand until they got to the diner. And even then she was unsure.

"This is where you work?" she said curiously, as they reached the diner. Caroline nodded, pushing open the door and holding it open for the mother daughter pair.

(the thought felt so foreign- Max was Max, she wasn't Max with child. but seeing her holding that little girl's hand showed her just how real the situation was. Max was a mother, and they were now living with a little girl who looked just like her.)

"Yep. This is the Williamsburg Diner".

"Well, well, well, who do we have here?" Earl wanted to know, as Max helped Beth unbutton her coat.

"Earl, this is Beth", Max said, and Beth looked up at the old man curiously. "Beth, this is Earl".

"Oh my God Max, she looks just like you", Earl said earnestly, and Beth squeezed Max's hand a little tighter, suddenly unsure.

"Earl's the coolest, he's my favourite", Max said to Beth, and she nodded shyly. "Are you hungry? You didn't eat anything at lunch".

"Not really".

"Are you sure?" she pressed.

(She and Caroline might not have had proper eating schedules, or even the time to eat, but she had to make sure that kid got something into her.)

Beth shook her head again. "No".

"Do you want a cupcake?" Caroline questioned.

"Caroline, she can't have a cupcake before she's eaten, what is wrong with you?"

But Max changed her mind at the way that Beth's eyes lit up. She knew that she was probably creating bad habits and that she was rewriting everything her parents had ever taught her, but she wasn't going to say no to a little girl who had just lost everything she knew.

"Can I please have a chocolate one?"

"You may", Caroline said dramatically, presenting her with a single chocolate cupcake on a plate.

"Go and sit down, okay? You can sit in one of the booths", Max told her, and she accepted her backpack off Caroline before scrambling up into the booth.

"Sophie's booth", Caroline said suddenly.

"No, leave her", Max objected, watching as Beth swiped her finger through the swirl of frosting on the cupcake, licking it carefully.

The little girl had three cupcakes, while colouring in and flicking through her books that had been in her backpack. She got up and wandered around (Max refusing to let her in the kitchen in fear of Oleg scarring her little mind), climbing up beside Earl for a few moments. But once Max served her lemonade and a plate of French fries, she settled down again, tiredness and the rollercoaster few days catching up to her.

"She can't come to work with us every night", Caroline said to Max, setting down the coffee pot. "Look at her, she's exhausted".

The little girl had taken to picking at the fries on her plate, yawning every few minutes. She was sitting on her knees to reach the table, but her head was leaning on her hand, threatening to crash onto the table.

"No, she can't", Max agreed.

By eight o'clock, she had passed out in the booth, and Max abandoned her tables to cover her with a coat, tucking her in as best as she could.

"She can't come to work with us anymore", she said to Caroline. "Not like that. I mean, we could set something up in the cupcake shop for her, but she can't sleep in a booth".

* * *

"Hi girls!" Sophie waved brightly from the door. "I'll be in my booth".

"Or Sophie can take her home?" Caroline suggested, as Sophie froze.

"There's someone in my booth". She turned to the girls accusingly.

"Oh, Sophie. This is Beth", Caroline motioned towards the sleeping little girl. "This is… Max's daughter".

"What?" Sophie's eyes grew huge and she stumbled for a seat. "What? That's Max's child?" she gasped.

"No", Max said, pointing to Caroline.

"She's not Max's child?"

"Oh no, she is", Caroline hastened to correct her. "Sophie, you wouldn't mind taking her home for us some nights, keeping an eye on her until we get back from work?"

"Oh I don't know", Sophie hummed, looking at the sleeping child.

"You'll just have to take her back to our apartment and stay there until we get home", Caroline wheedled.

"Caroline", Max said warningly.

(She liked Sophie and Sophie liked her, but Max didn't know what she would tell the kid.)

Caroline shrugged. "We'll have to discuss this".

"How can Max have a kid?" Sophie pushed on, and Max ran her hand through her hair.

"You seem to have this covered. Don't touch her; I'll be in the kitchen".

* * *

"Alright, kiddo, time to go", Max said with a sigh, lifting the coat of her sleeping daughter and shrugging it on. Taking Beth's own coat, she slipped it on, buttoning it up, careful not to wake her.

"Let's go", Caroline said, and Max hoisted the little girl into her arms, settling her against her chest. "Max, are you sure? You said so yourself you've got a bad back".

"She's like thirty five pounds. My boobs weigh more than that".

Beth wrapped her arms around Max's neck in her sleep and Caroline smiled softly.

"Let's go".

They were almost home when Beth started to stir, woken by the sound of a siren.

"What's goin' on?" she murmured, yawning hugely.

"Shhh, we're almost home", Max said soothingly, and she lifted her head off her shoulder.

"Is work finished?"

"Yeah, it is".

"I liked it, Max". Beth settled her head back on Max's shoulder and Max rubbed her back gently. "Everyone's really nice. Is Earl a DJ?" Beth questioned with a slight yawn.

"No", Caroline answered.

"Is Oleg crazy?"

"Yes". Max nodded, and Caroline chuckled a little.

"Are we almost home?"

"Almost", Max promised. "We're all going to go straight to bed, alright?"

Beth nodded sleepily. "After baths?"

"How about you have a bath in the morning?" Caroline suggested. "It's very late".

Beth nodded, her eyes drooping. "'Kay".

As Max unlocked the door, Caroline pushed through, holding Beth's hand, before helping the little girl button herself into her pyjamas. Beth, yawning the whole time, climbed into Max's bed, clutching her toy bear (Toby bear, she corrected them) and her well-worn soft blanket.

"Good night, Max", she said softly, as Max pulled the blankets over her shoulders. "Good night Caroline".

"Good night, honey", Caroline said from the doorway, and Max brushed her messy hair back off her forehead.

"Night, Beth".


	8. Chapter 8

When they were awoken at three a.m to the sound of crying, Caroline smacked Max's arms.

"There's someone in the apartment", she said groggily, and Max looked around blearily.

"What?"

"Go, go and see who it is!"

"It's probably just Beth!" Max protested, kicking aside the blankets. "God, if you wanted me out of your vagina that bad…" she mumbled, moving towards her bedroom. She pushed open the ajar door, finding Beth sitting up in her bed. "Hey, hey Beth", she said softly. "Are you okay? Shhh, its okay…"

Beth hiccupped, and Max sat down beside her on the bed, the little girl wriggling closer to her. Max wrapped her arms around her, gently pulling her into her lap. Beth buried her head into her shoulder, and Max held onto her tight, furiously blinking away the tears that had gathered in her own eyes.

"I miss my mum", she whispered, and Max rocked her gently. "And my dad… and my old house".

"I know…"

"Is everything okay?" Caroline said from the doorway, and Max waved her hand at her.

"Go to bed", she said instead. "Go to bed, I'll be out there in a minute".

Beth pulled herself away from Max, looking up at her with tear streaked cheeks. "You're gonna leave me?"

"What? No, I'm not going to leave you?"

"Can you stay in here tonight?" Beth said quietly, and Max nodded.

"Absolutely". Beth buried her head in Max's shoulder, and Max rocked her gently. "Of course I can".

It took a long time, but eventually Beth fell asleep, tucked into her arms.

(Max had dreamt of the day that her baby girl fell asleep in her arms since the day that she gave birth to her. but she had never imagined that it'd be under the circumstances that it was.)

* * *

"Good morning", Max said thickly, rubbing at her eyes and stepping into the kitchen.

"Morning!" Andy said cheerfully, flipping a pancake. "Chocolate chip, your favourite".

But instead she reached for the big ass bag of candy on the counter, pulling it towards her. "Today's the day I get diabetes before breakfast".

"How is she?"

"Well, she's still sleeping so don't wake her", Max warned the blonde, poking a gummy frog at her. "She tossed and turned all night and a six year old needs sleep".

(When Max and Caroline first met, the blonde had been surprised at how much she knew about kids.)

"Does she like pancakes?" Andy wanted to know, and Max ran her hand through the knotted mess on the top of her head.

"I don't know, Andy".

* * *

It was almost ten o'clock when Beth emerged from Max's bedroom, rubbing her eyes and blinking sleepily.

"Hi", she croaked, and Andy's eyes widened.

"Wow", he whispered. "Oh my God, she looks so much like Max!"

Caroline nodded, absently biting into a watermelon and coconut chew. "She does, doesn't she?"

"Good morning", Max said, as cheerfully as she could manage. "Beth, this is Andy, our… our friend".

"Aw, Max". And Andy grinned at her, Max grinning at him.

"Candy Andy?" Beth checked, and Andy turned to Caroline in surprise.

"Yeah!" Max nodded, pushing the bag of candy towards the six year old. "He bought us a bag of candy this morning, we left all the gummy stuff for you".

"Gummy stuff is Max's favourite too", Andy said. "It's nice to meet you".

"You too", Beth said, poking around in the bag and pulling out a green and white marshmallow gummy frog.

* * *

Andy and Caroline marvelled at the way that the two brunettes, so alike in looks and so different in every single way, interacted throughout breakfast and the rest of the morning.

(Max was braiding her hair. Caroline was threatened if she went near Max's hair to tie it into a sleek up-do, and yet she was sitting there, braiding. She was learning so much about her best friend.)

"She is so like Max", Andy said quietly to Caroline, and the woman nodded.

"I don't know how she was strong enough to give her up".

"She's strong".


	9. Chapter 9

It was a big adjustment, for both girls. While most nights Max would curl up beside Caroline, she had taken to sleeping on the couch (despite Caroline's insistence on how bad it was for her back. whatever, she had a bad back anyway). And while they'd come home from the diner and set their alarms for the cupcake shop, they were setting alarms for the school run.

And while little Beth was still adjusting to the new surroundings (night time was the worst. Night time was when the funny noises came out and the shadows didn't look like shadows, rather monsters on the walls), Max and Caroline often found a cold set of hands climbing into the vagina bed. While Caroline would shriek and flail about, Max would simply put an arm around the little girl, pulling her close.

she would come to the diner with them of an afternoon (one of them leaving the shop to collect her from school- generally Max), sitting in the kitchen with Oleg and up at the cashier's table with Earl and even tormenting Han alongside her mother (Han hadn't been shocked, the child was Max's, after all). Some nights, she would curl up in the cupcake shop with a blanket and cushion, and some nights she'd fall asleep in a booth. But most nights Sophie would take her home in her town car and observe the girls' apartment until they got home from work.

(One night they had found Sophie passed out, snoring loudly on the couch, surrounded by cupcake wrappers. "Caroline I am trusting my kid with her!")

Some nights, even Andy would keep an eye on her- he kept her well supplied with gummy candy and a selection of cartoons that he had borrowed from his sisters' multiple children.

("If this is turning into a booty call can you tell me now so I can bunk with Beth?" "Max!")

It was a huge adjustment, but by some small miracle, Max was keeping both the things she needed to keep alive, alive.


	10. Chapter 10

"Max", Beth said suddenly, from where she had been colouring in on the couch and Max looked up from where she was frosting cupcakes.

"Yeah?"

"How come you and me look so much alike?" she wanted to know. "Me and my mummy didn't look alike. And how come I never met you before?"

"That's a lot of questions for a little girl", Max chuckled nervously, setting down her spatula. "Want to lick the spatula?"

Beth nodded eagerly, and Max offered it to her, before joining her on the couch.

"Okay, um… well… Caroline!" she called out. "Caroline?"

"Caroline's gone with Candy Andy", the small brunette informed her. "You were in the bathroom when she left. Do Caroline and Candy Andy love each other?"

"One question at a time, please- and yes, they do".

"Oh. Well… okay, I'm going to tell you a story, okay? But you've got to listen, and remember, okay Beth, that your mummy and daddy loved you more than anything in the entire world. Okay?"

She nodded.

"You can ask as many questions as you want, but you've got to remember how much your mummy and daddy loved you".

"I know", she said to Max. "Mummy and Daddy told me every single day. They said 'Bethy we love you more than anything in the entire world'. I really miss them, Max". She leant into Max's side and Max ran her fingers through her dark chocolately curls, kissing the top of her head. "How did you know my mummy and daddy?"

"When I was younger- I was very young, I was only eighteen- I was at the doctors. That was where I met your mum and dad. They wanted a baby; they wanted to have a baby more than anything in the entire world. But your mummy couldn't have a baby in her tummy".

"Why not?"

"It was complicated, Beth", she said truthfully. "But I knew how much your mum wanted a baby. Some people are born to be mothers, and that was your mum. But she couldn't have a baby".

"But-"

"Patience. So we talked and talked and talked, and because your mum and dad really, really wanted to have a baby, I decided that I was going to have the baby for them".

"What?"

(Ooh, this was not good. she'd never had to do this before. Where was Caroline when you needed her?)

"I was very very young", she said tactfully, "And I knew that if I had a baby I would have a lot of trouble taking care of them. But I had a baby for your mum and dad".

"I'm your baby?" Beth's little eyebrows nearly flew off her face. "I don't-"

"You grew inside me", Max clarified, "But as soon as you were born, the doctor gave you to your mum and dad. That's why you didn't know me. You know how I make the cupcakes, and someone else buys them? How we sell them in the shop and Han sells them in the diner?"

Beth nodded.

"I guess it's kinda like that. Kinda. Not really. Actually, it's nothing like that, forget I said that".

"That's why we look the same?" Beth questioned. "Because you're my mum?" tears welled up in her eyes and she set the now clean spatula on the coffee table, scrubbing at her face with the back of her sticky little hands. "But Max-"

"Hey, hey, hey!"

Fighting tears, Beth put her arms around Max's neck and Max rubbed her back gently. Her head fell onto her shoulder and Max rocked her softly, like she had done to Brad and Angelina and all the other children she had surrounded herself with (maybe Caroline had been right).

"Max?"

"Yes?"

"Do I have to call you Mum?"

"No, not if you don't want to. You can still call me Max".

(If she was honest, being referred to as 'mum' scared the hell out of her. she wasn't a mum. She was Max Black.)


	11. Chapter 11

"Max, I don't feel well", Beth said with a sniffle, as the two of them headed hand in hand to the diner. "I feel yucky".

Max's hand immediately went to her forehead, feeling ridiculous and so much like a mother (she thought. She didn't really know, her mother hadn't done that. She'd down cold and flu medicine and slept for the week).

"Don't you?" Max said sympathetically. "I don't think you've got a fever…"

"Yeah. I feel sick".

"Caroline will take care of you", Max said, pulling her closer. "When I got sick she took care of me and I called her Bubbe".

"Why?"

"Because she took care of me like a grandmother".

"I want you to look after me", Beth complained, and Max hoisted her into her arms. Beth wrapped her arms around her neck, resting her head on Max's shoulder.

"You don't have a fever Bethy", Max said unsurely. "Where do you feel sick?"

"I just feel sick".

It was made blatantly obvious that Beth was going to be very much like Caroline when she was sick. She clung to Max, as she walked towards the diner.

* * *

"Hello sweetheart", Earl said with a smile, as Beth pulled off her coat. "What, no smile on your pretty face?"

"She doesn't feel well, Earl", Max filled him in, hanging up her own coat.

"Can I sit with you, Earl?"

"Of course you can darling". Earl patted the seat beside him, having adopted Beth as a granddaughter the moment Max first brought her through the diner doors.

"What's wrong with Beth?" Caroline wanted to know, as Max tied up her apron.

"She's sick".

"She is?" Caroline took a step back, and Max scoffed.

"So much for getting over your fear!" she chortled. "Your sickness plan is Flintstones chewables. She told me she feels sick- she's a bit sniffly but she doesn't have a fever or anything. Maybe she's coming down with the flu? I don't know".

"As long as she doesn't get customers sick", Han said in alarm.

"If she doesn't, the food will", Max said with a grin, and Oleg poked his head through the window.

"Order up! And I lost another Band-Aid".

(How did her kid like eating there?)

* * *

Somewhere between climbing down from beside Earl and sitting down in her booth, Beth attached herself to Max's side, sniffling and coughing into the side of her uniform.

"Kiddo", Max said, kneeling down in front of her daughter, "I've really gotta get these plates out. Can you please go and sit down for a moment? I promise that I'll be right over there as soon as I serve this table, okay?"

"I don't feel well, Max!"

She was only six. She was only six and was sick and had probably had her mother to run her fingers through her hair and rub her back and lay in bed watching Disney movies with her whenever she was sick.

"Please?" Max tried. "I'll be right over there, okay?"

Beth sighed heavily, trudging off towards her booth. "Is Sophie comin'?"

"Not yet- you ready for bed, are you?" Max glanced at the clock, seeing it was only just past five thirty.

Beth nodded.

"Oh, Bethy". Max frowned worriedly, setting the plates down in front of the waiting customers. "Want me to get you some dinner?"

"No".

"Hey Bethy, aren't you hungry?" Caroline questioned, and the little girl shook her head, setting her head on the table.

(Maybe she was coming to her senses and realising that the Williamsburg Diner was not the best place in the world, like she previously thought. And Caroline knew that she and Max may or may not have influenced that decision.)

"No". She sighed heavily, sniffling and then coughing.

Caroline frowned slightly. "Want a cupcake?"

"No".

"Max, she's sick!" she called, turning around and advancing towards the kitchen. "Max?"

"What?"

"She's denying cupcakes".

"No, she's not well at all". Max shook her head, putting down her plates and reaching for her coat.

"Want me to go and get her some soup?"

"No, no. I'm going to take her home. Han, I've got to take Beth home", Max called out. "She's not well and-"

"Don't get customers sick!" he said in alarm, and the mother daughter pair glared at him.

(How had she picked that up so fast? She was a child!)

Max bundled Beth in her coat and scarf, before slinging the child's backpack over her back. "Come on, let's go".

"Bye Caroline".

"I'll be home later tonight, okay? I'll come in to say goodnight", Caroline promised. "Max-"

"She's gonna be fine", Max cut her off. "I'll call you if she gets worse, alright?"

* * *

After a warm bath and a dose of children's paracetamol, Max tucked Beth into bed, and she curled up, hugging her pillow. Max lay down beside her, her favourite storybook resting against her knees.

"Do I have to go to school tomorrow?" Beth said drowsily, as Max read from it.

Max snorted with laughter. "We'll see in the morning".

"When's Caroline coming home?"

"She'll be home after work", she promised. "I'll get her to come in and tuck you in again, okay?"

Beth nodded, fighting to keep her eyes awake. "'Kay. Night Max. I love you".

"I love you too".

* * *

It had become a habit to wait up for Caroline, no matter where she was- Max didn't really know when it had become a habit, but it was (knowing her luck something would happen to the former rich princess if Max did fall asleep, and then she'd cop the blame). But even if she wasn't waiting up, Beth's coughing was keeping her awake from the other room.

"Good night Max", Caroline said with a smile, as Max acknowledged her from the vagina bed. "How's Beth?"

"She's not well, but she's asleep. Hopefully she can sleep it off. If that cough goes away".

It was a hoarse cough, and it rattled through her whole chest.

"She's okay, Max", Caroline yawned, coming out of the bathroom in her pyjamas. "Get some sleep".

But that was easier said than done, because Max sat in the vagina bed worrying.

* * *

At three thirty, when her daughter's coughing got so bad that she woke herself up, Max hopped out of the bed (trying not to wake up Caroline) going in to check on her again.

"Max", Beth croaked, as Max opened her door all the way. "I don't feel well".

Max laid her hand on Beth's forehead, trying not gasp as she withdrew it. From the slight warmth that she had been sporting when she went to bed, her forehead was raging hot. "Come on Bethy, let's go". She held her arms out and Beth crawled into them. Max grabbed a coat, her hat and scarf and her shoes, before kicking open the door again.

"We're going to the emergency room, that's not a normal cough", Max said, smacking Caroline with a pillow. "Get up".

"What?"

"Get up", Max warned. "We're going to the emergency room, Beth's really sick. I thought it was the flu, I don't think it's the flu anymore".

Caroline launched into action, barely having time to grab her coat before following Max out the door.

* * *

When they got to the hospital Max had thrown the forms at Caroline (who was, for once, being the level headed one), before beginning to pace, as they wheeled off her kid to poke and prod her.

"Max I'm gonna get a needle!" Beth wailed, and Max trailed after her, Caroline following her.

"Does she have any allergies?" Caroline read, and Max shook her head frantically.

"Nope".

When Earl had been admitted to the hospital, having his third heart attack, Max had been terrified. Terrified of losing a constant in her life, the man who had believed in her since they'd met. But seeing her child, her little Beth, tucked up in that hospital bed was a million times worse.

"Max, Max, look at me!" Caroline instructed, as Max anxiously paced the hallway outside the room where Beth was situated. "She's going to be fine, okay? They know what they're doing".

"My kid is in there, sick! They need to know what's wrong with my kid!" Max said frantically (how she was ever referred to as the level-headed, calm one, Caroline would never know).

"Max?" a voice said, and Caroline almost dropped her pen.

"Oh my God", Caroline said quietly, "Max, turn around".

"Johnny?"


	12. Chapter 12

"Max?"

"Johnny?"

"Your kid?" Johnny's eyes opened wide.

"What? What?"

"You have a kid?"

"Oh my God! I cannot deal with this right now!" and Max turned on her heels, storming off down the hallway.

"Max!" Caroline called, chasing after her. "Stay there Johnny we'll be right back!"

"What the hell is he doing here?" Max demanded when Caroline caught her. "He's not supposed to be here!"

"I don't know Max-"

"I'm here for my kid, not for her".

"He's still there, Max".

"I don't care! I don't care about him, I care about my kid who is SICK and I can't lose her Caroline", Max said in one breath.

"Calm down!"

(When had Caroline Channing had become the calm one? The moment that little girl had wandered into their lives, Max reasoned. That was the day that her heart had started wandering around outside her body and sweet Lord, she was glad that she hadn't said that out loud. No one would ever let her live that one down.)

* * *

"Max", Johnny said.

"Johnny", she said quietly.

(How was it possible that had had gotten hotter since they'd last made out?)

"How is it possible that you have a kid?" Johnny questioned. "And how have you never mentioned it to me before?"

"I didn't tell anyone", Max admitted (because that was the boy who had broken her heart more than once, and still the boy she kept going back to). "She wasn't my kid to have-"

"What?"

"I was a surrogate, Johnny, I had the kid but she wasn't mine. And then her parents died and now I've got a kid and she's sick and it scares the hell out of me, because I can't lose her".

Max Black would have never in a million years admitted that she was scared. But she was no longer Max Black, she was Max Black the mother with a kid who was currently sick, and hell, she was scared.

* * *

"Johnny wants us to have dinner", Max blurted out to Caroline.

"What? Are you going? Oh my God, you're going to get married!"

"Whoa! Back up". Max frowned at her. "I told him that I wasn't a home wrecker and he was friggin' Johnny and Cash- an INSTITUTION-"

"Max they broke up-"

"Caroline that is not the point- I don't want Beth getting close to him, because when he leaves he's going to end up hurting her!"

"You're afraid of getting hurt again", Caroline said.

"Yes, I am actually!"

(She had changed so much in such a short period of time, Caroline was getting whiplash.)

* * *

It took half an hour, but a doctor approached them with a diagnosis for little Beth (who was quite cheerfully watching Tangled in her hospital room with a drip in her arm, one particular nurse having been quite taken with her).

"Pneumonia?" Max snapped. "How the hell did she get pneumonia? It's October!"

"It's bacterial, by her symptoms", the doctor assured her, "And you can get pneumonia any time of year, Miss Black. It's likely that she's picked it up from one of her classmates or the environment she's been exposed to. She'll be on antibiotics but I want to keep her in at least overnight because her lungs are quite swollen. Has she had any symptoms up until now?"

"She's had the sniffles", Caroline offered. "We thought she was maybe getting a cold. But she got really bad this afternoon, she started to cough and had a slight fever. And then her fever skyrocketed".

"The diner", she growled to Caroline. "I need to have words with Han. Can I go and see my kid?" Max questioned the doctor.

"Of course, go ahead". He nodded and Max took off, Caroline on her heels.

"Hey Max", Beth said sheepishly, as her mother flew in the door.

"Hey kiddo, how are you feeling?"

"Hey sweetie", Caroline said gently. "You gave us a bit of a scare!"

"Sorry". She grinned at them.

"Well she's obviously feeling better!" Caroline laughed at the cheeky sparkle that had come back to her eyes.

* * *

"You go home", Max said quietly, as she ran her fingers through Beth's hair. The little girl had settled down on the bed, and was finally asleep (despite fighting, she needed it). "I'll stay here with her".

"Are you sure?" Caroline said gently.

"Go home, get some sleep. I'll call Han and tell him that I won't be able to make it in tonight- want me to get you out of work too? Super gonorrhoea?"

Caroline chuckled at the memory that insult brought up ("this is not one of those moments you bring up in a few weeks and are like 'hey, remember that time'- no. this is not one of those times". "You've got to admit it was pretty funny! We're the most unlikely animal friendships". "For the love of God shut up"). "I'll let Han know she's sick".

"And you tell him that that diner is a breeding ground for illness!"

"We know that", Caroline reminded her.

"Well you tell him again". Max brushed back a lock of hair from her daughter's face, unable to shake the image of that newborn baby that she had held for only a few moments.

"Good night Bethy", Caroline said softly, kissing the little girl's cheek. "I'll be back soon alright Max? I'll bring you a coffee".

"Thank you", Max said quietly.

(They both knew she wasn't just talking about the coffee.)

* * *

Max drew the conclusion, that afternoon that Beth was exactly like Caroline when she was sick. She wanted the whole world to know about it. She definitely did not get that trait from Max, who'd prefer to die alone and in peace. In other words, she was a drama queen and had been spending too much time with Caroline.

* * *

"Thanks for stayin' with me Max", Beth said drowsily, leaning against her mother's ample chest. Max smiled, enjoying the time she got to spend with her daughter.

"Wasn't going to leave you here kiddo", she said gruffly, trying to keep her emotions intact.

"Love you".

"Love you too kiddo".

* * *

"Han!" Beth said in surprise, sitting up in her bed (despite Max's best efforts to keep her still, Beth wasn't having it).

"Lay down!" Max said in exasperation, turning around to see the Korean in the doorway. "Han? What the hell are you doing here? Its seven thirty".

"Surprise!" Oleg said brightly, carrying in a bunch of balloons.

"What?"

Earl followed, bearing a gift bag. "We heard little Beth wasn't feeling very well. So we closed the diner and came to visit".

"Oh, Earl!"

Oleg motioned to her discarded dinner tray. "What is that?"

"Dinner". Beth frowned. "I wanted French fries, Oleg, but they didn't gimme any".

(Beth was the probably only person in the entire world who actually liked the food from the Williamsburg Diner. Max didn't know why, and she definitely wasn't going to tell Han that.)

"I'll make you French fries", he promised, letting go of the helium balloons.

"We got you something!" Han said brightly.

When Max had made pot cupcakes for their failed cupcake shop, she'd saved three for Han, Oleg and Earl. Han, getting all sentimental, had declared them a family. And while she had scoffed at the time and told them to eat their cupcakes, she realised that it was kind of true. They had all gone to the hospital when Earl had his heart attack, and they had all sent well-wishes (and soup) home with Caroline when Max got sick.

"Thanks Han", Beth said, and he smiled at her, handing her the gift bag. "Look Max, the bed is higher than Han!"

There was no doubt that she was Max Black's kid.


	13. Chapter 13

"Max!" Beth threw her arms around the older brunette, all but throwing Max backwards.

"Beth!" Max said, with the same enthusiasm, adjusting the girl's knit hat. "What's up kiddo?"

"We had to talk about our families today".

"Really?" Max said, somewhat uneasily. Because that was the kid whose parents had just died and she was adjusting to a whole new life, so what was she going to say?

"What did you talk about?"

"I talked about you and Caroline and Candy Andy and Earl", Beth said, slipping her hand into Max's. "And Han and Oleg and Sophie".

"What?" Max squeezed her hand, and Beth grinned up at her.

"Yeah…" Beth's voice trailed off. "Because you're my family!"

"I guess we are, hey Beth?"

"Am I comin' to the diner?"

"Of course". Max paused, wrapping Beth's scarf a little snugger around her neck. "You're still not completely better, Bethy", she scolded.

"Hey Max?"

"Yeah Bethy?"

"Thanksgiving is soon".

"It is". Max nodded, looking curiously at her. "Why, what's up?"

"Who are we gonna have Thanksgiving dinner with?"

"Oh". Max's voice trailed off. "Every year Caroline and I have Thanksgiving dinner at the diner, because we help out the people who can't afford dinner".

"With our family?" she checked. "Han and Oleg and Earl and Sophie and Candy Andy are going to be there?"

"Yeah, Beth, I guess they will be". Max pulled her close, hugging her suddenly. "Love you kiddo".

"Love you Max".

* * *

"She thinks we're a family", Max said to Caroline, once Sophie and Beth had headed back to their apartment building.

"What?"

"Us. Han and Earl and Sophie and Oleg and Andy".

"She thinks we're a family?" Caroline almost laughed. "This is the most dysfunctional family I've ever seen". Her voice trailed off. "I guess it kinda is, hey?"

"Don't you go getting all sentimental on me", Max warned. "I can't handle her and you getting all soppy. No hugging".

"But Max-"

"No hugging".

(Their next investment, they had decided, was another Murphy bed. Caroline tossed and turned all night and Max didn't think she could take it much longer.)

* * *

"Max?"

"Mmmm?"

"Max?"

"Mmmm?"

"Max, get up", Beth said softly, pulling herself up beside her mother. "Max it's time to go to school. We gotta go!"

"Oh my God!" Max bellowed, seeing the clock. "Who didn't set the alarm? Oh my God, get dressed! We've got to go! Have you brushed your teeth? You need breakfast. Caroline, get up, we overslept!"

"What?"

"It's okay", Beth said, putting a hand on Max's shoulder. "I got lunch. And had breakfast. And got dressed and brushed my teeth. Could you please do my hair?"

"Oh my God I'm turning into my mother", Max said in a panic.

"Hey Max?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I help you and Caroline serve dinner at Thanksgiving?"

"What?" Caroline croaked, sitting up in the bed.

"For Thanksgiving!"

"We'll see", the brunette finally said.

* * *

"I can't believe I overslept", Max complained on their way to the cupcake shop after dropping Beth at school. "I mean I have like two things to do. Keep her alive, and keep you alive. And if I keep oversleeping how am I supposed to do that?"

"It was once", Caroline reminded her. "That kid has a heart of gold, she's so special. I don't think Han will let her serve though".

"She'll still be there", Max said. "But I can't believe I overslept!"

"She forgives you".

* * *

"Happy Thanksgiving!" Beth burst head of them into the diner, wearing her nicest outfit.

"Look at you", Earl said with a smile.

"Thanks Earl!" she hugged him, before bouncing off towards the kitchen. "Oleg? Oleg? Can I help? Happy Thanksgiving Han!"

"I can't have child serving food", Han protested, as Beth carried a red apron towards Max ("can you help? I can't make a bow").

"She's not, she's gonna be serving cupcakes", Max said smoothly.

* * *

"Happy Thanksgiving!" Andy announced, coming through the doors of the diner. Caroline beamed at him (they were so friends with benefits, maybe even more), and Beth hugged him quickly.

"I got you a thanksgiving chocolate turkey", he said cheerfully.

"Awesome!" she hollered with the same enthusiasm of her mother with a bear claw.

"Bethy, sit down and eat your dinner", Max said gently, setting a child's size portion in her usual booth.

"But its Thanksgiving and I want to eat with my family", she protested. "When are you and Caroline going to sit down to eat with me?"

"We're pretty busy right now, but how about you sit up with Earl?" she checked instead.

""Kay", she agreed.

Earl smiled as the little girl hopped up beside him, her fork balanced in between her fingers.

(She'd never had a grandfather before. Her parents' parents had died before she was born, and Earl was as close as she had.)

* * *

They served three hundred and fifty turkey dinners that night, and Beth served three hundred and fifty cupcakes and broke the wishbones of the turkeys. They were beyond exhausted by the end of the night, and Beth tucked herself up in Max's lap, resting her head on her ample chest.

"This was fun", she said sleepily, and Max untied the girl's frosting splattered apron. "This was the best Thanksgiving ever. Hey Han, can I help decorate the diner for Christmas?"

"In the morning", Caroline laughed, as she struggled to keep her eyes open. "Come on, Sophie got the town car for us all to go home".


	14. Chapter 14

Once Thanksgiving was over, the stores started to decorate for Christmas. And while Max had thought that Caroline had been excited, Beth was even more over the top ("Max! Can we please please please look in the window of this store? Please? Look at all the Christmas lights!").

And Caroline was only helping her along.

"This is my favourite time of the year", Caroline said brightly, as Han and Beth carried armfuls of tinsel through the diner. "Hey Bethy, wanna help decorate the cupcake shop when you're done?"

"Yeah!" she nodded cheerfully, half hidden by the tinsel.

"What's wrong, Max?" Caroline said in concern, as Max slumped against the counter.

"Nothing, I'm fine", she said with a sigh.

"No you're not, you're the one who always tells me that fine doesn't mean fine", Caroline almost scolded. "What's wrong?"

"It's Christmas and we're broke".

"I know".

"It's Christmas and we're broke and I have a kid".

"I know", Caroline repeated.

"It just sucks that I can't afford to buy my kid something nice for Christmas! She's a kid and still believes in Santa".

Caroline got it. Nodding, she put an arm around Max (noting with a grin how Max didn't push her away and tell her to soft touch someone else like she would have a few months ago). "Christmas is gonna be really different with a kid around", she offered.

"Really? Oh I hadn't thought of it like that!" Max frowned. "It just sucks, okay? Christmas didn't happen when I was a kid, and we're too poor to have a nice holiday season. And that sucks, because she deserves a nice Christmas".

It wasn't that Beth hadn't been left money. Her parents were not poor, but the majority of the money wasn't to be accessed until she was eighteen. While Max had an allowance, she only had enough for Beth's expenses- school, clothing and medical costs. Christmas had always been tight, but Max hadn't truly felt it until then.

"We'll work something out", Caroline told her. "We'll talk about this at home, okay?"

* * *

"Good night kiddo", Max said softly, as she pulled the blankets up around her daughter's shoulder, brushing her messy curls off her face. She stepped away from the bed, closing the door quietly, before turning to face Caroline. "I'm giving that kid a nice Christmas if it kills me. And it might actually to so".

"You're so dramatic. It makes me feel better about myself", Caroline said, hauling down the Murphy bed. "And we need to get another one of these. You toss and turn all night and it's ridiculous".

"We can't afford it- we can't even afford a Christmas tree- but I'm sure that we can pull something together. Even something little. She's easy going".

"What about the money that her parents' left her? We can't get any of it?"

"Apart from the allowance we get, no. that's for college and whatever she chooses to do in the future. She doesn't get it until she turns eighteen".

Caroline sighed. "This is not easy".

"Yes, yes, raising a kid is easy work, I don't know why we didn't think of it before", Max said sarcastically.

Caroline frowned at her. "Do not take this out on me".

"Well I'm not going to take it out on her! And we won't see Han until tomorrow".

Caroline bit back a smile, seeing the way that Max crinkled up her nose at her.

(After three years of friendship, Caroline could tell exactly what kind of mood Max was in, even when she had the straightest of faces. The slightest twinkle in her eye or the twitch of her nose could alert her of her mood, or send her into hysterical laughter.)

"We'll work something out", Caroline said again, and Max sighed, lying down properly on the bed, sighing heavily.

* * *

"Do you know what you're going to ask Santa for?" Max questioned, as Beth swung her hand cheerfully.

"Um… no, not really. Maybe a Mickey DVD?" she said quietly. "I like Mickey. And me and Andy watched Mickey Mouse the other day when we came home from the diner. And Candyland".

"Candyland?"

"Yeah. I like that game, my daddy played it with me. And I think Caroline would like it too. Max, what am I gonna get Caroline for Christmas?"

"I don't even know what I'm gonna get Caroline for Christmas", Max said honestly. "Santa will bring her something good".

"Okay", she said brightly, squeezing Max's hand and looking up at her adoringly. Max grinned down at her, squeezing her hand right back.

* * *

"We need to find cheap Mickey Mouse DVDs", Max announced, as she barged into the cupcake shop. "And Candyland".

"The board game? Oh, Antonia and I used to play that all the time!" Caroline gushed, handing Max her apron.

"I know, Beth told me".

"What? I never told Beth!"

"Well, she guessed. She guessed right. What else can we get her?"

"I heard her mention the other day that she wants boots like you".

"I'm not giving a six year old high heels!"

"Not boots exactly like yours!"

"We're gonna work something out", Max decided. "We do need to work out what to do with her, anyway. We need to work as much as we can, its Christmas and everyone wants cupcakes. We're making peppermint cupcakes. We need to make peppermint cupcakes".

* * *

"Hello", Andy said with a grin, leaning in the window to kiss Caroline.

"Oh my God, get a room", Max said, as she expertly frosted a cupcake. "Beth and I are totally taking bets, too".

"Your taking bets with your six year old?"

"Yep. A bag of gummy frogs".

Caroline and Andy just stared and Max shrugged, setting the cupcake down.

"Anyway", Andy continued, as if Max hadn't said anything, "What does Beth want for Christmas? Does she need anything? Or want anything?"

"What?" Max's eyebrows rose. "You're getting her a Christmas present?"

"Of course I am", he said in surprise. "She's a cool little kid".

"Oh", Max said quietly.

There were still things that she couldn't believe. How her friends- her family, she guessed- had stepped up to look after that kid, had stepped up to care for her and Caroline when they needed it.

"So what can I get her?" Andy questioned. "I never know what to get my nieces".

"Um…" Caroline's voice trailed off, looking at Max.

Max shrugged, almost unwilling to elaborate.

"Thank you for your help, Max", Andy chuckled. "I'm sure I'll think of something". He pecked a kiss to Caroline's lips again, before disappearing down the street.

* * *

"Beth, let's go!" Caroline called, as she pulled on her coat. "Time to go!"

"I'm busy! Don't come in!"

"She's six, how busy can she be?" Caroline questioned.

Max knocked on her door.

"Don't come in!"

"Beth, time to go!" Max said, knocking again.

There was a heavy sigh, and Beth appeared in the doorway, a frown on her face.

(Max was going to be in so much trouble when she was a teenager. It'd be like parenting herself.)

"Why?" she complained. "I'm doin' somethin', Max!"

"Why don't you bring whatever it is with us?" Caroline suggested, handing Beth her coat.

"No, I can't".

As Caroline led the way towards the door, Beth tugged urgently on Max's arm. "It's Caroline's Christmas present", she whispered. "I gotta finish Caroline's Christmas present".

"Aw, Beth!" Max grinned at her. "Tell you what. I'll kick her out so you can work on it, okay?"

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

Good Lord, she was living with two Maxes.

* * *

"What can I get Beth for Christmas?" Han questioned Max, and Max stared at him. "What?" he protested. "I don't know what to get little girls for holiday season!"

It took every bone in her body to hold back the worst of her insults. But she couldn't bite back everything. "That shouldn't be too difficult Han! What did you want for Christmas?"

Han frowned at her, and Oleg poked his head out of the serving window.

"Beth's asleep in the cupcake shop", Caroline announced, coming back into the diner. "What's going on? Are we holding an intervention?"

"We're discussing what to get Beth for Christmas", Han informed her. "We are having official diner meeting after work".

"Aw. No, no official meeting. Max has to go and get her into bed". Caroline shook her head.

"She's a little girl", Max said, shrugging non-committedly. "She's easy to please".

"Thank you for that help, Max". Caroline almost chuckled at Han's comment. "There are tables to be served!"


	15. Chapter 15

"Hey Caroline", Beth said quietly, as she came out of her bedroom. "Can we go shopping?"

"Sure!" the blonde enthused. "What for?"

"I wanna get Max something for Christmas".

"Beth, honey… I know you want to, but sweetie we don't really have a lot of money…" Caroline's voice trailed off.

"I know but Caroline I've been saving up!"

"What?"

"Yep". She nodded. "every week Earl gives me a dollar and says 'there you are sweetheart buy yourself something pretty' and Han gave me twenty dollars the other day to promise not to tell Max that I had to lift the Christmas tree off him because it fell on him".

Caroline started to laugh, and Beth frowned slightly.

"I think Han said I wasn't supposed to tell you either. I've got a little bit of money and I want to get Max something nice. Coz she's Max". She shrugged simply. "She brushes my hair and tucks me into bed and

Caroline knelt down, tears glistening in her eyes. "Bethy, you're a sweetheart", she declared.

"So can we?"

"We can". Caroline nodded, blinking frantically. "Tomorrow".

"Whoa, what the hell's going on with your eyes?" Max demanded, coming in the back door.

"Nothing, nothing, its fine".

"Why is Caroline crying?" Max questioned Beth, and the little girl shrugged.

"I dunno, Max".

(That kid had the innocence of the devil. It was like parenting herself.)

* * *

"Max likes gnomes and cupcakes", Beth said, as she swung Caroline's hand cheerfully, bundled up to protect her baby skin from the city's cold. "I wanna get her a gnome. Max has so many, you know Caroline? So many! I counted, there's twenty seven!"

"She's just keeping them there until we get a yard", Caroline chuckled. "The gnomes are the reason we don't have a cat, Bethy".

Beth frowned slightly, trying to make the connection in her little brain and failing to do so. In the end, she just shrugged,

They spent almost four hours wandering around, before Beth made a decision. She bought her mother a tiny little gnome and a book on cupcakes, meticulously counting out the dollar bills onto the counter. Caroline's heart both swelled and broke at her innocence.

"Do you think Max will like it Caroline?" she said genuinely, looking up at the blonde with big eyes.

"Bethy, she's going to love it", she whispered thickly, kneeling down in front of her. "You're a sweetheart, sweetie".

Beth grinned. "I hope she likes it".

"She will. I promise. Now let's stop at the grocery store and get some stuff for the cupcake shop".

"You know what Max should make for the cupcake shop? Swirly cupcakes. I and my friend Darcy- she used to look after me before I came to live with you and Max- made swirly cupcakes. Pink and purple and yellow and green and blue. But because it's Christmas we should make red and green swirly cupcakes!"

It was the holiday season, and Max and Caroline were pinching pennies even tighter to give that little girl a nice holiday. But Caroline went ahead and bought two bottles of food colouring, making Beth smile.

"Alright, we'll drop your stuff off at home and I'll get changed, and we'll head straight to the cupcake shop", Caroline told the little girl, as she clutched her hand.

* * *

When they arrived home, Beth hurried her purchases into her room, while Caroline got changed.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah!"

Caroline hustled her out the door, and was pulling it shut behind her, when a teenage girl emerged from the door across the hall. She smiled at them and Beth waved.

"Hi!" Beth said brightly, and the girl knelt down in front of her, her eyes sparkling.

"Hi! I'm Norah! What's your name?"

"I'm Beth", Beth said, suddenly shy. She pulled Caroline's hand a little closer to her, and Caroline wrapped an arm around her. "That's Caroline".

"Hi, I'm Norah, we've just moved in across the hall". She motioned towards the door that had once hidden the man with the leash. "It's nice to meet you".

"Nice to meet you too", Caroline said with a smile. "Welcome to Williamsburg".

"Listen, if you ever need a babysitter for Beth, I'd be happy to do it", Norah blurted out. "I've had a lot of experience with kids".

Caroline genuinely smiled at her. "Thank you".

* * *

Max smiled as the diner door opened, and her kid bounced to Earl at the cashier counter. Earl beamed at her and Beth giggled back, scrambling up beside him. That kid loved him as much as Max did, and Max was really glad.

"So I think I've found us a babysitter", Caroline said brightly, tying her apron around her waist.

"Huh?"

"A girl just moved in across the hall".

"The dog guy left?"

"Yeah".

(They really needed to start keeping an eye out on their neighbours. They were very unobservant.)

"We can't afford it, Caroline".

"I know, but it's nice to know that there's someone who can look after Beth if there's an emergency".

"Max!" Beth came running across the diner, having abandoned her seat up beside Earl. She flung her arms around Max's legs, hugging her tight. Max chuckled slightly, hugging her back.

"Hello, did you have a good day?"

"Yeah. Can we make swirly cupcakes for the diner for Christmas? Red and green? Me an' Caroline got food dye! Darcy and me used to make them. Can we?"

"Whoa, whoa!" Max held up her hands. "Slowly!"

"Please?" and she batted her big dark eyes up at Max and Max frowned, knowing that she wouldn't be able to resist that look.

Her kid was cute.

* * *

"What the hell is this?" Max demanded, once she opened the door to the apartment. Andy was sitting on the lounge browsing a magazine, and looked up innocently.

"What?"

"What's that?" and Max pointed accusingly to the Christmas tree that was now sitting beside the Murphy bed.

"Oh, that… yeah, well, a little birdie told me that you didn't have a Christmas tree so I took it upon myself to set it up".

Caroline all but flung herself at Andy and Max sighed heavily, with a gut feeling that she would be bunking with Beth that night.

"Max, say thank you to Andy".

"Andy, because of my childhood I don't think I'll properly be able to process this", she began, and Caroline shot her a look. "So if I start crying when I see you one day, this is probably why… thank you Andy".

And later that day when she was crawling into bed beside Beth (not wanting to subject her kid to what was happening in the living area of their apartment); she smiled, because she might be able to give that little girl a half decent Christmas.


	16. Chapter 16

Beth was very secretive in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Max found the little girl hiding in her bedroom a lot, and when she was called, would protest quite vocally with 'I'm getting ready for CHRISTMAS!'

"She's six", Caroline had said in almost disgust, when Beth had let out a groan that would put a fifteen year old to shame. "She's not allowed to have this kind of attitude yet".

But despite the attitude they received, she was sweet. And once school was let out for the Christmas break, she spent every moment in the cupcake shop with Max, swirling red and green and white Christmas cupcakes and making Christmas cards in the corner.

(They were the most intricate cards Max had ever seen. And whenever she went over to have a look, Beth would throw herself down on top of them so she couldn't see.)

Despite everything, their apartment was looking very festive. Beth had brought home all the art and craft she'd made at school, and one afternoon when they had completely run out of options, Norah across the hall had made red and green paper chains and strung them across the kitchen.

("We're broke. We can pay you in cupcakes!" Caroline had offered, holding out a plate of Max's Christmas swirl cupcakes, and Max had given her some of her tip money. But Norah had declined the money, choosing to accept the cupcakes instead- making Max wonder what kind of teenager was she? "I wasn't doing it for the money. She's a cool kid. We're friends".)

They had proceeded to make a selection of other Christmas craft, and after they had filled the apartment, they brought it to the diner. While Han had protested at first, Beth and Max had argued and it went up on the walls, giving it even more of a festive feel.

* * *

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way! Oh what fun it is to ride on a one-horse open sleigh, hey!"

"Oh my God", Max groaned.

Beth and Caroline had been singing for the best part of six hours. They'd gone through every Christmas carol in the world and Max was well and truly over it. But halfway through, Beth had stopped to ask if they had cookies for Santa.

(Apparently cupcakes wouldn't cut it. So Max was standing in their kitchen baking cookies because she had a kid who wouldn't feed Santa Claus cupcakes.)

"Max, how much longer until Santa comes?" Beth wanted to know, climbing up onto the counter.

"Santa comes when everyone's in bed", Caroline reminded her.

"Oh yeah. What's the time, Max?"

"Almost dinner time", Max answered.

"Good. Then I'm gonna have a bath and pour milk for Santa and then go to bed".

"Really?" Caroline raised an eyebrow at her, and the six year old nodded enthusiastically.

"We get to see everyone tomorrow right?"

"We get to see everyone every day".

"But we're havin' dinner with them?"

Max nodded, before removing Beth's hand from the tray of hot cookies.

"Hey!" Beth protested, her eyes sparkling.

"Nope". Max shook her head, and Beth sighed.

* * *

After they'd eaten and Beth was bathed and in pyjamas, Caroline read her The Night Before Christmas ("Daddy and Antonia used to read this to me every Christmas Eve, it was tradition"), Max choosing to sit back and watch. Beth, yawning sleepily, leant back on the couch, focusing on the pictures.

"Bedtime", Max said finally, pointing towards the bedroom, once Beth had set out cookies and poured milk into a glass. "Santa only comes when you're sleeping, remember?"

"I know". Bouncing a little on the balls of her feet, Beth threw her arms around Max. "Good night Max. Merry Christmas. I love you. Good night Caroline. Merry Christmas, I love you too".

"Good night Bethy".

"Good night kiddo", Max said softly, holding onto her daughter just a little tighter.

It didn't take long for the little girl to crash, and they pulled her presents out of hiding.

It had taken a lot of scrimping and saving- even more so than usual- to come up with money for Beth's gifts. But, given the circumstances, Caroline thought they did a pretty good job.

"So it's not gonna be the Christmas she would have had", she amended, "But I think we've done a pretty good job".

Max nodded, hacking at the roll of cheap wrapping paper with blunt scissors. "Santa can't wrap for crap", she complained, tearing it off the roll.

Just like Beth had requested, they'd found Candyland. Max had found a pair of boots that were similar but not identical to her own (she wasn't putting her six year old in high heels), and Caroline had found her a cute pair of winter jammies. A few other little bits and pieces were added to the mix, but they knew it wasn't going to be the same as what she'd had in Christmases past.

"She's going to love it anyway", Caroline predicted.

* * *

"Merry Christmas Beth", Max said quietly, as she checked on the little girl before she went to bed. "I'm sorry I couldn't give you more".

* * *

"Max".

The brunette didn't even stir, and Beth sighed.

"Max".

"Caroline go away".

"Max its Beth. Wake up!"

"What?" Max opened one arm, jumping when she saw her daughter an inch away from her face. Sitting bolt upright, she blinked around frantically. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"It's Christmas!" and Beth climbed up onto the bed, over Max and tucking herself into the blankets. "Caroline, wake up! It's Christmas! Guess what? I think Santa came!"

Caroline mumbled something incoherently from the other side of the room, and Beth bounded across to wake her. "Caroline, its Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas Bethy", Caroline murmured.

"Look, Santa came!" Beth said excitedly. "Come on, lets open presents! Can I give you my presents? Caroline you go first!"

"What?" Caroline shuffled across the room, before climbing into Max's bed.

"Your present!" and she shoved a clumsily wrapped gift at the blonde, making her smile.

"Thank you Bethy!" Caroline said with a grin, and she set it aside. "I'm going to make us some Christmas coco, okay? Then we can open presents".

"Coz that's how Antonia woke you up on Christmas", Beth remembered clearly. "And peppermint sticks?"

"We have candy canes", Max offered.

"That's even better!" Beth enthused.

* * *

Once the three of them were clutching mugs of hot chocolate, sitting in Max's bed, Beth passed Caroline her present again.

"Open it Caroline, it's from me. I made it for you".

Caroline put her mug aside before gently peeling away the wrapping paper, gasping a little.

"Beth did you make this all by yourself?"

Inside the wrapping paper was a necklace not unlike the pearls she wore every day, made from multi-coloured beads. And while her pearls were classy, her new beads meant something to her.

Beth nodded enthusiastically. "Yep! But Norah did the clippy thing at the back, I couldn't get it". She sighed heavily, and Caroline grinned.

"I love it, thank you Bethy!"

"Max, you're next!"

Max was lost for words when she unwrapped the little gnome and the cupcake book. She blinked frantically between the two, before glancing up at Beth, who was crouched on her knees.

"Do you like it?" she said anxiously.

"I love it", Max said honestly, and Beth crawled into her lap, wrapping her arms around her neck. She squeezed her tight and Max squeezed back just as hard.

(There was no possible way that kid was hers. Her heart was too big.)

"Who's turn now?" Beth questioned, eagerly eyeing the presents under the Christmas tree.

"I don't know, how about Chestnut's?"

"And then me?"

"I'm kidding, it's your turn. Chestnut doesn't get his presents until after breakfast".

* * *

Max had never seen a child so excited, in her entire life. Every gift that she opened she thanked them profusely for, hugging them and kissing them and bouncing so hard she almost fell right off the bed. She changed into her new pyjamas and boots immediately, and pulled the lid of the game of Candyland.

"Wanna play?"

(That kid clearly adjusted to anything. Max knew that she would have gotten much more when her parents were still alive, but they'd tried their best.)

* * *

Beth was sitting in the middle of the wrapping paper, setting up the Candyland board when there was a knock at the door.

"That could be Sophie! Can I get it?" Beth wanted to know, bouncing towards the door. "I bet its Sophie! And maybe Oleg!"

Max followed her, as she swung it open.

"It is Sophie!" Beth said cheerfully. "And Oleg and HAN!" Beth started to giggle, seeing Han in his elf costume. "Max, Caroline, look! Han's wearing an elf costume!"

"Hello sweetheart", Earl chuckled.

"Hi Earl!"

Max wasn't sure how to react, at the fact that Han was in their apartment. She hadn't even put their real address on their work forms.

"What are you guys doing here?" Caroline wanted to know.

"It's Christmas!" Oleg said in surprise. "and you have to spend Christmas with family!"

Beth moved to hug him, before seeming to think better of it. She ducked away, hugging Earl.

"I've got presents for you!" she said excitedly, motioning them inside.

"I like your boots!" Sophie said appreciatively.

"Thanks! Santa got them for me!" she ducked into her bedroom for a moment, hauling out her backpack.

"Thank you", Max said quietly, setting aside the Candyland box and wiping the wrapping paper off the bed. "What have you got?" Max questioned, as Beth opened her backpack.

"I made presents!" she said with a smile. "You and Caroline already got your presents but Han and Sophie and Andy and Oleg and Earl didn't. I thought we gonna go to the diner for dinner but now everyone's here they can get them now!"

"Bethy, you made presents for everyone?" Caroline said in surprise.

"Well Mrs Litwack helped me", she admitted. "But I wrapped 'em up and made cards for everyone. Mrs Litwack only had to help me a little bit with that. An' I couldn't spell Sophie. I thought that had an F".

"Earl, sit down", Max instructed, as Beth passed around presents.

It wasn't anything big- but it was sentimental. In each little wrapped present was a macaroni photo frame, the little girl grinning back at them with a Santa hat on her head. It was ridiculously cute and Max was a little put out that they didn't have one for the house.

(And then Beth produced one for her, and it was all okay again.)

* * *

They spoiled her.

A little too much than they should have, but Max was grateful. Sophie bought her an American Girl doll, and she spent the morning playing with it in the living room. They laughed and they sang carols (Max refusing) Beth found herself the centre of attention, before convincing Earl and Oleg and Han to play Candyland.

And then Andy came, with a handful of Christmas crackers.

And then they were all wearing paper hats- even Chestnut- and telling terrible jokes that only had Beth laughing, and the turkey that Oleg had brought was cooked and they all sat around the tiny little apartment and Max only made a few jokes directed at Han.

(She stood by the fact that he brought it upon himself, he was wearing a freaking elf costume.)

* * *

They were all but passed out with a little too much to drink under their belts, and Beth had climbed into Max's lap. Max had her arms wrapped around her and her head was on her shoulder.

"Max?"

"Yeah?" Max said softly.

"I miss my mum and Dad", she said softly, and Max sighed, rubbing her back gently.

"I know, Beth".

"Do you think they had a good Christmas?"

Max nodded. "Definitely".

"Does Santa come to heaven?"

"Of course he does!" Max said in surprise. "Santa goes everywhere".

"I'm glad I get to be with you". Beth yawned sleepily, and Max smiled.

"Me too. Merry Christmas Bethy".

"Merry Christmas Max". Beth yawned again before closing her eyes properly.


End file.
